Can crimping machine



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. W. ROBERTS. CAN ORIMPING MAGHINB.

No. 521,893. Patented June 26,1894.

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m: mmcruu. LWHOGRAFNING COMPANY.

WASNINGTON. n. e.

(No Model.)

' 4 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. W. ROBERTS. (JAN GRIMPING MACHINE. No. 521,893. Patented June 26,1894.

.1, W,TNSSES .F1Q.HH. INVENTOH MMWMW I WMTW W 2?. 7% I W ATTORNEY 1 a t e e h s h. t e e h S 4 R m TH RA M BG m RP .M I WR G JN A O A d o M 0 W Patented June 26,1894.

lNVE/VTOH ATTORNEY.

WITNESSES.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

J. W. ROBERTS.

GAN GRIMPING MACHINE.

No. 521,893. Patented June 26, 1894.

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i UNITED STATES PAT NT OFFICE;

JOHN W. ROBERTS,=OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE ROBERTS TINWARE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CAN-CRIMPING MACHINE SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 521,893, dated June 26, 1894.

Application filed March 14, 1893. Serial No, 466,003. on model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN W. ROBERTS, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Ole ve- My invention relates generally to machinesfor crimping the ends upon the cylindrical part of tin packing cans, and especially to improvements in the machine covered by UnitedStates Letters Patent No. 47 6,558, issued J one 7, 1892, upon my application.

The object of my invention is to provide new and improved holders for the crimping disks, whereby smaller disks may be employed, thus avoiding the expense of large crimping disks and the liability there is of large disks to be not true, and to provide for more readily placing the crimping disks in the machine and removing them therefrom.

A further object of my invention is to provide a followerfor the disk which crimps the top end upon the can, which follower is designed to smooth out wrinkles and folds that are formed by the crimping disks in turning over the edge of a can end, and also to further perfect the turning of the end upon the can body to receive the solder for the top end of the can.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my machine as improved. Fig. 2 is a plan section of Fig. 1 on the line 00 as.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation .of the.

- 2.2, illustrating the application of a modified smoothing disksin contact therewith, and is designed to illustrate the construction, combination andoperation of the smoothing disk,

and the crimping and smoothing disk bracket, and adjacent parts. Figs. 10 and 11 are onlarged perspective views of the bracket which carries the lower crimping-disk and supports the smoothing-disk. Fig. 12 is 'an enlarged broken section showing the bar, friction roller and cam which operate the smoothing-disk. Fig.13 is an enlarged side elevation of the support for the bar which operates the smooth ing-disk. Fig. 14 is an enlarged edge view of the lower crimping-disk, and Fig.15 is an enlarged side elevation of the smoothing-disk. Fig. 16 illustrates the parts of a can prepared for crimping withoutwiring. Fig. 17 shows the parts of a can put together ready to be crimped by my machine, and Fig. 18 is a view of the completed can not wired after being operated upon. Fig. 19 illustrates the separate parts of a can prepared for beading one end of the can to give it the appearance of being wired. Fig. 20 is a View of the parts put together to be operated upon for heading, and Fig. 21 illustratesthe beaded can after being operated upon. Fig. 22 illustrates a vertical section of a fragmental can and its top separated therefrom showing the flange 8O partially turned. Fig. 23 is a vertical section of a fragmental can illustrating the completed operation of the machine.

For the sake of clearness, I first describe the rotary can-carrier and the tables that operate in conjunction therewith.

The vertical shaft 1 stands in a journal block 2 and is supported laterally by the frame 3. A carrier frame 4 is fixed upon the vertioal shaft 1 above the frame 3, the hub 4" of the carrier frame 4 resting and turning upon the horizontal arm 3 of the frame 3. Around the circumference of the rotary carrier frame 4 is a series of'journal boxes 5, through which pass the spindles 6 carryingthe can-carrier disks 7. Around this rotary can-carrier is a friction face, which is preferably formed by a band 8, which bears against awyielding block 8 to avoid vibration of the carrier. The block 8' may be of rubber faced with wood or metal, or it may be a wood or metal block with springs back of it. Above the rotary carrier-frame 4 is a circular table 9 that is fixed to the vertical shaft 1; and above the circular table 9 is a like table 9', fixed upon the shaft 1; and above the table 9' is a similar circular table 10, fixed upon the vertical shaft 1 and having a hopper 11 supported therefrom by means of the straps 11. The table 9 is designed to carry loose tops of cans. The table 9' is intended to carry loose bottoms of cans, and the table 10 and hopper 11 are intended to carry the cylindrical or body parts of cans. Upon the vertical shaft 1, below the horizontal arm 3' of the frame 3, is fixed a drive-gear 12.

I will now describe the gripping mechanism of my machine. The frame supporting this mechanism consists of a vertical standard 13, having lateral arms 14, 15, 1(5 and 17, which carry the vertical shaft 18 that turns inithe journals 14, 15, 16' and 17'. To the lower end of the vertical shaft 18 is fixed a bevel-gear 19, and to the top of said shaft 18 is fixed a bevel-gear 20. Collars 18' are fixed upon shaft 18 above and below journal 17 to prevent vertical movement of said shaft. To the opposite side of the standard 13 are lateral arms 21, 22, and 23 for supporting other operative mechanism of the machine. The lateral arm 21 is strengthened and supported by the upright 24, and a cross tie, 25, extending from the standard 13 to the upright 24, gives greater rigidity to the frame; and the vertical tie 23" still'ens and makes more rigid the lateral arms 22 and 23.

The horizontal main shaft 26 passes through openings in the standard 13 and upright 24 and has its inner end supported by the bracket 27 and its outer end supported by thebracket 28. Said horizontal shaft 26 turns in the journals 27' and 28. Upon the outer end of the shaft 26 is fixed a drive pulley 29; and a mutilated bevel-gear 30 is fixed upon the inner end of said shaft 26. Said mutilated bevel-gear 3O meshes with the drive gear 12 that is fixed upon the vertical shaft 1 of the rotary cancarrier. Upon the horizontal shaft 26, to the outside of the standard 13, is fixed a bevel-gear, 31, which meshes with the bevelgear 19. 1

An upright, 32, supported from the top of the standard 13, and an upright 33, supported from the top of the lateral arm 23, carries the horizontal shaft 34. The horizontal shaft 34 turns in the journals 32 and 33'. Upon the outer end of the horizontal shaft 34 is fixed a bevel-gear 35 which meshes with the bevelgear 20.

A vertical shaft 36 is carried in the jour" nals 22' and 22-)" at the outer ends of the lateral arms 22 and 23. A collar 36' above the journal 22', and a like collar below the journal 23, prevent vertical movement of the shaft 36. Said shaft is supported above the orbit of the can-carrier disk 7. To the top of the vertical shaft 36 is fixed a bevel-gear 37, to mesh with the bevel-gear 38, that is fixed upon the end of the horizontal shaft 34. An elongated boss 37' of the gear 37 extends down to the journal 23'. The shaft 36 has vertical adjustment in the collars 36' and in the bevel-gear 37 for the purpose hereinafter described. This adjustment through the collars 36 is secured by means of set screws (not shown) and through a key (not shown) upon the-inside of the gear 37 and boss 37'. While the shaft 30 is adjustable vertically, the gear 37 remains in one position that it may always mesh with the gear 38. To the lower end of the shaft 36 is fixed a disk 36".

Upon the lateral arm 21 is fixed a block, 39, having gibbed sliding-Ways, in which slide block 40 reciprocates; and upon the lateral arm 22 is fixed a block, 41, having gibbed sliding-ways in which the sliding block 43 reciprocates. A vertical shaft, 42, having its lower end firmly fixed to the sliding block 40, passes up through the slot 22 in the lateral arm 22, through the slot 41 of the block 41, and has its upper end fastened in the sliding block 43 by means of a feather 42. In the drawings (Figs. 1, 3 and 4) the shaft 42 is illustrated as passing through a bore in the sliding block 43 and being secured from turning by a key or feather 42. The only difference between the blocks 39 and 41 is that block 41 is slotted, as illustrated and described, to allow the vertical shaft 42 to pass up through block 41 and have a reciprocating movement therein; and the only difference between the lateral arms 21 and 22 is that the arm 22 is slotted as illustrated and described, to allow the shaft 42 to pass through it and have a reciprocating movement therein.

The other features of the crimping disk reciprocators, which operate over the lateral arms 21 and 22, are alike, and therefore a detailed description of the upper one only is given, it being illustrated by Figs. 3, 4 and 5; and the same reference figures are placed to like parts of each reciprocator.

The sliding blocks 40 and 43 havea bore 44 therein, into which passes the rod 45. A spring 46 is placed in the bore 44 back of the rod 45. The opposite end of the rod is threaded as seen at 45. The bar 47 has a bore in its front end, into which enters the threaded end of the rod 45. The entrance of the rod 45 into the bar 47 is shown by the dotted lines on the bar 47 in Figs. 3 and 4. Said bar 47 has a lateral opening 47' through it, into which is placed a worm-wheel49. The worm-wheel 49 is bored axially and threaded to screw upon thethreaded portion of the rod 45. A worm-gear 50, turned by the hand wheel 51,0peratesthe worm-wheel49. It will be seenthat by turning thehand wheel 51 the worm-gearand wheel will lengthen or shorten the reciprocating apparatus as desired. The

bars 47 reciprocate in openings through the standard 13.

Instead of making the wheel 4.) a wormwheel, it may be made a plain wheel bored axially and threaded to screw upon the rod 45, and other means than the worm-gear employed to turn it. Various meansfor turning this wheel will readily suggest themselves to me-. I prefer, however, to use the worm-.

chanics. gear, as a finer adjustment, can be secured therewith than by other means.

In the back end of the bar 47 is pivoted a friction roller 48. Upon the vertical shaft 18 are fixed cams 52 to engage the friction rollers 48. As the pressure of the cams 52 is brought against the friction rollers 48 by the rotation of the shaft 18, the reciprocators are thrust forward, carrying the vertical shaft 42; and as the pressure of the cams 52 is released, the retraction springs 53 will withdraw the reciprocators to their extreme back stroke.

- The description so far given describesthe parts of my machine therein referred to as they exist in the machine upon which my present invention is an improvement, and as they are described in said Letters Patent No. 476,558, issued to me June 7, 1892,'I will now describe my new improvements and their connection with my said machine.

Upon the shaft 42 I fix a bracket 54 by means of a set screw 55. Said bracket 54 has a front arm 54' which is bifurcated carrying between the branches of said bifurcated arm a crimping-disk 56 which rotates freely upon the pivot 56". Upon one side of the said bracket 54 there is a centrally pivoted link 57, having a reciprocating rod 58 pivotally connected with one end-of said centrally pivoted link 57; and said reciprocating rod 58 carries at its opposite end a smoothing-disk 59. tion and guided by a sleeve 60 formed upon the bracket 54, through which sleeve 60 the reciprocating rod 58 has free reciprocating movement. To the end of the centrally pivoted .link 57 opposite the end to which is attached the reciprocating rod 58, is attached a bar 61 which is supported by and passes through the sleeve 62 which is attached to the standard 13. Upon said bar 61 is fixed an adjustable arm 63, which is made adjustable longitudinally upon the bar 61 by the set screw 64. A frictional roller 63 secured to said adjustable arm 63 engages a cam 65 that is fixed upon the vertical shaft 18. -A collar,

67, is fixed upon the bar 61 in front of the sleeve 62, and an expansion spring 68 is interposed upon said bar between the ring 67 and the sleeve 62.

The form of the crimping-disk 56 is illustrated by Fig. 14, and the form of the smoothing-disk 59 is illustrated by Fig. 15. The crimping disk 56 th'at is carried by the bracket 54 has a groove 56 around its periphery for the purpose of forming a bead upon the up per end of cans operated upon for the purpose of giving said cans the appearance'of being wired. Thesmoot-hing-disk 59, illustrated by Fig. 15, has its face beveled, as illus;

trated, and is placed with the edge 59' down so that the edge 59 will runin against the edge of the canend that is. turned over the cylindrical portion of the can and let the bev- Said reciprocating rod 58 is held in posieled face of the smoothing-disk run parallel to the side of the can body of cans being operated upon'.

' Upon the shaft 42, above the bracket 54, is

' fixed a bracket 69, which has a bifurcated arm 69' within which turns a crimping disk 70 upon the pivot 71'. Said bracket 69 has vertical adjustment upon the upright shaft 42 by a set-screw 69", and is prevented from turning upon said shaft by means of the feather 42. v

I have now fully described the construction of mynew improvement in can-crimping machines. Said improvements are fully illustrated in Figs. 9, 10, ll, 12, 13, 14 and 15; and their connection with my can-crimping machine upon which they are an improvement is illustrated by Figs. 9, 12, and 13, which illustrate broken sections of the old machine adjacent to my present improvements, and are illustrated in the complete machine by Figs. 1 and 2.

The operation of the several parts which enter into my present invention will be fully described in connection with the general detion and its application tosaid machine.

A bracket, 72, carrying a journal 72', is attached to the front side of the upright support 24. A rectangular plunger 73 works verti: cally in the journal-box 72'. The top, 73, of thevertical plunger 73 is a cap fitted upon the plunger-bar 73, and is cupped out on top to receive the lower ends of the spindle 6. A friction roller 74 is pivoted to the lower end of the vertical plunger 73., Upon the lower horizontal shaft 26 is fixed acam 75 to engage the friction roller 74. 4 The vertical plunger 73 is below the orbit of the spindles6 with their disks'7. When the carrier-frame 4stops after each intermittent rotary movement, the vertical shaft 36, one of the spindles 6, and the plunger 73 are inavertical line. Athrowoff, 76, supported in front of the machine by the bracket 77, and having vertical adjust ment therein by means of a set-screw'78, op

erates to discharge cans from the machine after being operated upon as they are carried on by the intermittent rotary can-carrier and come into contact with the horizontal bent end 76' of the throw-off 76.

In the operation of my machine, the parts of cans represented by 79, 80and 81, are first prepared as illustrated by Fig. 19. One end of the cylindrical part, 79,-is rolled over, as illustrated at 7 9'. This is the top end of the can. The cylindrical parts, 79, are placed in the hopper 11 and on top of the table 10. The bottoms,81,are placed upon the tablet), and the'tops, 80, are placed upon the tables 9. The bracket69is adjusted vertically upon the shaft 42 so as to bring the upper crimping-disk at a proper height to engage the bottom end, 81, of the can when the can is gripped to be rotated and crimped; and the length of the reciprocators is adjusted to the diameter of the can, as hereinbefore described. The operator takes the prepared parts of a can and puts them together, as illustrated by Fig. 20, and then sets the can top end down upon one of the can-carrying disks 7. The position of the can upon the disk 7 is shown at A, Figs. 1 and 2. The mutilated gear 30 'rotates the shaft 1 and the can-carrying apparatus intermittingly, and brings the disks 7 successively under the disk 36". As each disk 7 comes below the disk 36", the cam on the horizontal shaft 26 comes into contact with the friction roller 74 on the vertical can between the disks 7 and 36".

and 37, and shaft 36.

with said disk 36", and the spindle 6, carrying the disk 7, turns in the journal 5. The' lower ends of the spindles 6 are rounded that they may turn easily upon the cupped plunger-head 73. The can A is raised high enough to bring the turned edges of the ends and S1 opposite the edges of the crimping-i disks 56 and 70. As the can A is gripped and while being revolved, as described, the cams 52 on the vertical shaft 18 come into contact with the friction rollers 48 on the reciprocators and force the reciprocators in, thus bringing the edges of the disks 56 and 70 against the turned edges of the can ends 80 and 81.

The turning of the can A causes the disks 56 and 70 to revolve. The can A makes several revolutions while the disks 56 and 70 are in operation against it. After the can A shall have been gripped, and immediately after the crimping-disks 56 and 70 come into contact with the can ends 80 and 81, the cam 65 upon the vertical shaft 18 engages the friction roller 63 of the adjustable arm 63, which throws out the bar 61 and throws in the reciprocating rod 58 carrying the smoothing-disk 59, thus causing said smoothing-disk 59 to come into contact with the top end 80, of the can being operated upon; and said smoothing disk 59 follows the crimping-disk 56 in its travel around the can. As the crimping-disk 56 turns the edge 80 of the can end over the curled end 79' of the cylindrical portion 79, it leaves wrinkles and creases, which wrinkles and creases are smoothed out by the action of the smoothing-disk 59 following said crimping-disk 56, and as the smoothing-disk 59 follows the crimping disk 56, it not only smooths out the wrinkles and creases left by said crimping-disk, but the edge 59' of the smoothing-disk 59 forces the edge of the can end 80 down in behind the curled end 7 9 so far as to leave a little gutter on top of the edge of the can end 80 that is turned over the curled portion 79. This gives better facility for soldering the can end upon the can body than would be aiforded by the use of the crimping-disk alone without the smoothingdisk. When the can shall have been crimped, the grip of the can is released by the turning of the cam 75; the cams 52 release their pressure, and the springs 53 withdraw the reciprocators, and the mutilated pinion 30 rotates the can-carrier 4 far enough to bring the next succeeding disk 7 below the disk 36', when the operation described is repeated. Immediately as the springs 53 withdraw the crimpingdisk reciprocators, as hereinbefore described, the spring 68 bearing against the ring 67 throws the bar 61 in, thus withdrawing the reciprocating rod 58 and disengaging the smoothing-disk 59 from the can operated upon. As the cans are carried around after being operated upon, they come into contact with the horizontal arm 76 of the throw-off 76 and are caused to fall into a chute or receptacle placed by the side of the machine to receive them.

The purpose of the springs 46 in the sliding blocks 40 and 43, back of the rods 45, is to provide a yielding bearing for said rods 45 and a yielding to the disks 56 and 70, and smoothing disk 59, to overcome any unevenness in the size of cans operated upon, and also to cushion the stroke of said disks against the cans.

I have described the operation of making cans having their top end beaded to give them the appearance of being wired. Sometimes, especially with the smaller sizes of cans, it is not desirable to give such cans the appearance of being wired. In such cases, the parts of the cans are prepared as illustrated by Fig. 16, and put together as illustrated by Fig. 17. 79" represents the cylindrical portion of such cans without the curl upon one end, and 80 and 81 represent the ends of such cans. Fig. 18 represents a completed can that has its upper end not beaded. In making cans without a bead upon their upper end, a disk exactly like that illustrated at 70 is employed for the lower end instead of the grooved disk 56.

The adjustment and operation of the machine for making cans not beaded are the same as for crimping beaded cans.

In Fig. 8 I have represented a modification of the can-carrying disks 7. Said modification, as illustrated by Fig. 8, is employed in making baking-powder cans, and cans of like character not having the top soldered upon the body of the can, but having the top, which forms a lid for the can, fit over the open top end of the can. The spindle 6' is like the spindle 6 of the other disks and turns in the journals 5 of the can-carrying frame 4 in the same manner. On top of the plate 7 is a circular extension 7" having a bead 7".

This complete tool may be called a former. In using this former, the grooved crimpingdisk 56 is used in connection therewith, and the former and said crimping-disk are so adjusted with reference to eachother that the bead 7" upon the former will fit in the groove 56 of the crimping disk 56. While the can is being gripped between the disks 36' and the disk 7', and while the bottom end of the can .is being crimped by the disk 70, the crimping-disk 56 and the former, illustrated by Fig. 8, will form a bead around the can operated upon near its top end. In beading baking-powder. cans as just described, the smoothing-disk 59 is not employed.

My machine may take in various modifications in details of construction; andI do not, therefore, limit myself to the form and arrangement of parts as shown and described.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

' 1. The combination, in a can crimping machine, of a bracket having a reciprocating movement, a crimping-disk carried by said bracket, a link centrally pivoted upon the bracket, a rod pivoted at one end to the pivoted link and carrying a smoothing disk at its opposite end, and means for throwing the pivoted link to reciprocate the smoothing diskindependentlyof the reciprocating movement of the crimping disk, substantially as illustrated and described.

2. The combination, in a can-crimping machine, of abracket carrying a crimping-disk, a link centrally pivoted upon the bracket, a reciprocating rod having one end pivotally connected with one end of said centrally-pivoted link and carrying at its opposite end a smoothing-disk, a cam, and intermediate connection between said cam and the said centrallypivoted link, substantially as illustrated and described.

3. The combination, in a can-crimping machine, of a bracket carrying a crimping-disk, a link pivoted upon said bracket, a reciprocating rod having one end pivoted to said pivoted link and the opposite end carrying a smoothing-disk, a bar attached to said pivoted link, a cam, and an arm adj ustably fixed to said bar and having engagement with said cam, substantially as illustrated and described.

4. The combination in a can-crimping machine, of mechanism which automatically grips and rotates a can, a crimping disk, a cam to reciprocate the crimping-disk, a smoothingbrackets provided with arms carrying crimp J ing-disks pivoted thereto, cams to reciprocate said vertical shaft laterally, and adjustable connection between said cams and vertical shaft, substantially as illustrated and described. I

7. The combination, in a can-crimping machine, of a vertical shaft having fixed thereon brackets provided with arms having crimping-disks pivoted thereto, cams to reciprocate said, vertical shaft laterally, and yielding connections between said cams and vertical shaft, substantially as'illustrated and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses, this 10th day of March, 1893.

JOHN W. ROBERTS- Witnesses:

' J. A. OSBORNE,

DON M. OSBORNE. 

